Chris EudailyNPR Digital Services RSS Generator 0.94The KPAC Blog features classical music news, reviews, and analysis from South Texas and around the world. Scroll down for feature writings about the music played on air as well as other interviews and essays about classical music. To listen to KPAC 88.3 FM, simply click the "Listen Live" player at the top of this page and choose KPAC: Classical Music. NOW PLAYING on KPAC 88.3 FM:NPR Digital Services RSS Generator 0.94KPAC BlogFri, 18 Aug 2017 04:59:25 +0000KPAC Bloghttp://tpr.org
Lourdes Garcia-NavarroThe Santa Monica Symphony Orchestra will have a guest conductor this week: Dennis Prager. He'll conduct Haydn 's Symphony No. 51 at an orchestra fundraiser. Dennis Prager's day job, however, has members of the orchestra up in arms — and laying down their instruments. He is a conservative talk show host who often targets multiculturalism , Muslims and LGBTQ people . Some musicians have refused to perform, and four signed a letter asking community members not to attend the concert, objecting that Prager's political views are at odds with community and orchestra values. Santa Monica is a famously liberal town — and Prager is an outspoken conservative who has said that " the news media in the West pose a far greater danger to Western civilization than Russia does. " He has also defended free speech vociferously, including comedian Kathy Griffin's photo stunt holding up a model of President Trump's severed head — which was widely decried by many fellow conservatives. Prager was invited toSanta Monica Symphony Orchestra Confronts Controversy Over Right-Wing Guest Conductorhttp://tpr.org/post/santa-monica-symphony-orchestra-confronts-controversy-over-right-wing-guest-conductor
91436 as http://tpr.orgSun, 13 Aug 2017 14:58:22 +0000Santa Monica Symphony Orchestra Confronts Controversy Over Right-Wing Guest ConductorJack MorganThe Olmos Ensemble , a local chamber music group is gearing up for two performances this week.Olmos Ensemble Prepares For 'Techno Parade' Chamber Concert This Weekhttp://tpr.org/post/olmos-ensemble-prepares-techno-parade-chamber-concert-week
91193 as http://tpr.orgTue, 08 Aug 2017 23:08:41 +0000Olmos Ensemble Prepares For 'Techno Parade' Chamber Concert This WeekJack MorganA brand new orchestra is being built from the ground up here in San Antonio. "The South Texas Symphonic Orchestra is a brand new full orchestra, made up of community members, retirees, teachers, volunteers who want to play music at a very high artistic level. Their reward is playing for the love of music," Ronnie Sanders says. As the founder and artistic director, Sanders has the background you'd expect for this kind of venture. "I have a Master's Degree at the University of Houston, a Doctorate of Music Education at Boston University," he explains. In February he decided to commit to his idea of creating an orchestra, generating a web site and filing paperwork to become a non-profit entity. Then he put out a call for musicians and they have responded. "As of yesterday we have 71 people who have decided 'I want to be a part of this orchestra.' Most of them have advanced degrees in music," he says. Sanders has auditioned many of those players. As to how many players he's looking for, heSouth Texas Gets A New Symphonic Orchestrahttp://tpr.org/post/south-texas-gets-new-symphonic-orchestra
91155 as http://tpr.orgMon, 07 Aug 2017 21:45:40 +0000South Texas Gets A New Symphonic OrchestraNathan ConeOn Saturday, August 5, the San Antonio Symphony returns to the airwaves for a ten-week series of concerts featuring some of the orchestra’s best performances from the 2016-17 season. The programs, hosted by San Antonio’s Ricardo Chavira , air at 7 p.m. Saturdays as part of TPR’s ongoing “Performance Saturday” program featuring locally recorded classical music concerts. The series opens on a dramatic note with Carl Orff's massive cantata, "Carmina Burana," a piece so well-known it has its own Wikipedia page listing its appearances in other media . The performance features the San Antonio Symphony as well as the Mastersingers and Children's Chorus of San Antonio. The broadcast season also features three concerts from the San Antonio Symphony’s Mozart Festival, highlighting music of one of the most beloved composers of all time, including choral music, piano concerti, and of course his bright, glorious symphonies. In addition to host Ricardo Chavira’s commentary on the concerts, selectSan Antonio Symphony Returns To KPAC Airwaveshttp://tpr.org/post/san-antonio-symphony-returns-kpac-airwaves
73408 as http://tpr.orgSat, 29 Jul 2017 17:22:32 +0000San Antonio Symphony Returns To KPAC AirwavesJack MorganA music festival at the University of the Incarnate Word kicks off this weekend and the four-day two weekend event has plenty of variety.Mozart Festival Set To Play At University of the Incarnate Wordhttp://tpr.org/post/mozart-festival-set-play-university-incarnate-word
90551 as http://tpr.orgWed, 26 Jul 2017 15:42:37 +0000Mozart Festival Set To Play At University of the Incarnate WordNathan ConeHow do you take Tchaikovsky's “1812 Overture,” one of the biggest pieces of classical music ever written, and boil it down to one instrument? If that instrument is the organ, you’re a leg up, according to Tom Dooling, music director at First Presbyterian Church in downtown San Antonio. “Because it’s such a tonally diverse instrument, you can replicate [the orchestra] in the organ,” Dooling says. Pointing in the direction of organist Dr. Jae Ha, he adds, “the Tchaikovsky is one of many others he’s done, including the Beethoven 5.” Up in the choir loft at First Presbyterian, Ha and Dooling are walking me through the music from a recent recital that concluded with a confetti cannon and the “1812.” “We just had a blast doing the piece,” Dooling says with a smile. Also on the program were two pieces of music built around names: Franz Liszt’s “Fantasy on the Theme B-A-C-H,” and Maurice Duruflé’s “Prelude and Fugue on the Name A.L.A.I.N.” Given that the musical alphabet we know only goes to The Organ As Orchestrahttp://tpr.org/post/organ-orchestra
90104 as http://tpr.orgSun, 23 Jul 2017 18:56:00 +0000The Organ As Orchestraeditorhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_IuI9z3LUIM Mark Campbell is one of the most prolific and celebrated librettists in contemporary American opera. But, as he recently told an audience at the Guggenheim Museum, not everyone thought his latest project was a good idea. "I've had a number of socialist friends of mine saying, 'Why would you write an opera about Steve Jobs? He was the worst capitalist!' " he said. Campbell's response to those naysayers? " 'Reach in your pocket — you probably have an iPhone there.' " Jobs has been the subject of movies and books, and now the Apple co-founder's life has also become the stuff of opera. A decade after Apple released its first smartphone, The (R)evolution Of Steve Jobs premieres Saturday on the stage of the Santa Fe Opera. Even Campbell was initially skeptical of the idea, which came from 40-year-old composer Mason Bates. Bates was convinced that in Jobs' "complicated and messy" life, he'd found the right subject for his very first opera. "He had aSing Different: Steve Jobs' Life Becomes An Operahttp://tpr.org/post/sing-different-steve-jobs-life-becomes-opera
90387 as http://tpr.orgSat, 22 Jul 2017 11:15:00 +0000Sing Different: Steve Jobs' Life Becomes An OperaTom Huizengahttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UcknsYVgdkM So what do you do if you're a recently crowned head of state and you're already facing opposition — even from within your own family? One answer is optics. Make a big, public splash; throw a lavish party with A-list musical entertainment. That's just what happened in London — 300 years ago Monday. In July 1717, King George I of England was feeling heat from an opposing political faction gathering around his son, the Prince of Wales. The king must have thought: "How can I turn the spotlight back on me? " What about a boating party along the Thames? With an orchestra! The king's boating blowout gave birth to a smash hit — Water Music, composed by George Frideric Handel for his majesty's royal ride up the Thames. "This was a new thing," says conductor Nicholas McGegan , "to have quite such elegant and organized music in a barge towing behind the royal one, where the king sat with his two mistresses and watched the world go by." McGegan is300 Years Of Handel's 'Water Music,' With A Splash Of Politicshttp://tpr.org/post/300-years-handels-water-music-splash-politics
90106 as http://tpr.orgMon, 17 Jul 2017 21:37:21 +0000300 Years Of Handel's 'Water Music,' With A Splash Of PoliticseditorTo the uninitiated, it's the French horn — though that's a bit of a misnomer. To its players and students, it's simply a horn, an instrument that has featured in orchestras for centuries. The horn's sound is easily recognizable thanks to the prominent role it's played in some of the most epic classical songs and movie themes. But it's still an uncommon instrument, and not the easiest one to build community around. To that end, dozens of horn players head into the woods in the White Mountains every summer to celebrate and learn more about their instrument. The Kendall Betts Horn Camp in New Hampshire attracts players of all abilities, including aspiring professionals like 22-year-old Torrin Hallett of Wisconsin. When he first attended four years ago, it sealed his fate. "It was just incredible," Hallett says. "I had never before been in a place where everybody just spoke horn all the time." The sounds and language of the horn emanate from wood cabins from morning until night as teachersAt This Summer Camp, Horn Players Of All Ages Find Communityhttp://tpr.org/post/summer-camp-horn-players-all-ages-find-community
90032 as http://tpr.orgSun, 16 Jul 2017 05:08:13 +0000At This Summer Camp, Horn Players Of All Ages Find CommunityJack MorganFrom art, to Frida Kahlo, to the Cactus Pear Music Festival – here are three events to see in the Alamo City this weekend.Chamber Music, Modern Art, Frida Kahlo: Your Weekend's Here!http://tpr.org/post/chamber-music-modern-art-frida-kahlo-your-weekends-here
89946 as http://tpr.orgThu, 13 Jul 2017 22:05:54 +0000Chamber Music, Modern Art, Frida Kahlo: Your Weekend's Here!editorCopyright 2017 Fresh Air. To see more, visit Fresh Air .American Popular Song Series: Jerome Kernhttp://tpr.org/post/american-popular-song-series-jerome-kern
89930 as http://tpr.orgThu, 13 Jul 2017 16:50:00 +0000American Popular Song Series: Jerome KernAdriana CarnerThey call themselves the “Black Tie Cacti”, and they’re the nine winners of the Cactus Pear Music Festival ’s Young Artists Program for 2017. The musicians range from 16 to 18 years old, auditioned for the part back in April of this year and were chosen to perform an hour and a half program for this year’s festival. Not only is this a great opportunity for the people of San Antonio to enjoy young talent, but it is also a stepping stone for these young musicians into a lifetime of music. Every year, young artists are chosen through an audition process and awarded full-tuition scholarships for an intense two-and-a-half week program that teaches the kids the structure of an ensemble, and how to study and perform chamber music. The kids are given private instruction and chamber music coachings by some of the Festival Artists, and exposure to future opportunities in classical music. For the first part of the program, the musicians are taught their performance music during rehearsal, andCactus Pear Music Festival Showcases San Antonio’s Brightest Young Musicianshttp://tpr.org/post/cactus-pear-music-festival-showcases-san-antonio-s-brightest-young-musicians
89858 as http://tpr.orgWed, 12 Jul 2017 15:00:18 +0000Cactus Pear Music Festival Showcases San Antonio’s Brightest Young MusiciansJack MorganYouth Orchestras of San Antonio tackles a fun project, which features more than just music.Youth Orchestra Plays Video Game Spectacular In San Antoniohttp://tpr.org/post/youth-orchestra-plays-video-game-spectacular-san-antonio
89812 as http://tpr.orgTue, 11 Jul 2017 23:53:26 +0000Youth Orchestra Plays Video Game Spectacular In San AntonioAnastasia Tsioulcas https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V8dCdQ3iTrc A daring French composer died earlier this week: Pierre Henry, who was 89 years old when he died on the night of July 5. His death was announced by his assistant and friend, Isabelle Warnier, though the cause was undisclosed. Pierre Henry was in love with noise. In a 2007 documentary about his work called The Art Of Sounds , the composer is shown going out for a walk and stopping to compliment a runner. "The sound of your steps is very beautiful, sir," Henry declared to the startled man. Born Dec. 9, 1927 in Paris, Pierre Henry was enchanted by everything he heard. He entered the Paris Conservatory when he was just 10 years old. There, he studied with the great teacher Nadia Boulanger, whose students eventually included everyone from Aaron Copland to Quincy Jones . It was an auspicious start to an audacious career. In his early 20s, he helped usher in a musical revolution with a style called musique concrète -- "concrete music" — collages ofRemembering Pierre Henry, A Composer Who Made The Everyday Extraordinaryhttp://tpr.org/post/remembering-pierre-henry-composer-who-made-everyday-extraordinary
89679 as http://tpr.orgSat, 08 Jul 2017 15:09:58 +0000Remembering Pierre Henry, A Composer Who Made The Everyday ExtraordinaryTom HuizengaMost people love to sing, but in Estonia, they take their singing very seriously. At the Estonian Song Festivals , for example, over 30 thousand singers routinely show up to form one gigantic chorus. Among the Baltic country's smaller, professional vocal ensembles, the Grammy-winning Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir is considered one of the world's best. When the group releases a new album, fans of choral music listen up. The choir comprises just over two dozen voices, but those voices can produce a complex blend of sounds that is luminous, supple and surprisingly strong. The group can sing Gregorian chant, Mozart or Stravinsky just fine, but throughout its three-decade history, the choir has earned its stripes singing new music. For this new album, Moorland Elegies , the music is homegrown. Composer Tõnu Kõrvits, one of Estonia's rising stars, can pare the choir down to wisps of smoke or paint with bold, swirling, van Gogh-like strokes. Raising voices in song is central toAn Estonian Choir Channels Emily Brontë's Windswept Blueshttp://tpr.org/post/estonian-choir-channels-emily-bront-s-windswept-blues
89556 as http://tpr.orgThu, 06 Jul 2017 04:16:53 +0000An Estonian Choir Channels Emily Brontë's Windswept BlueseditorViolin Lessons Help Refugee Children Adapt To U.S.http://tpr.org/post/violin-lessons-help-refugee-children-adapt-us
89013 as http://tpr.orgFri, 23 Jun 2017 18:59:00 +0000Violin Lessons Help Refugee Children Adapt To U.S.Tom HuizengaEarlier this month, the New York Philharmonic 's outgoing music director Alan Gilbert said goodbye to his orchestra in a series of concerts . Today, he is saying hello to a brand new job in Hamburg, Germany. This morning, the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra is announcing Gilbert as its new chief conductor. He will begin this fall with a designate title, and is scheduled to take over completely in the 2019-2020 season. In a prepared statement, Gilbert said, "Very little would have tempted me to take on the challenge of a new position so soon. But the perfect confluence of circumstances seems to have come together with the Elbphilharmonie Orchestra." Gilbert has significant history guest conducting the ensemble, which until recently went by the name NDR Symphony Orchestra of Hamburg. Gilbert, now 50, surprised more than a few when he announced in February 2015 that he would be stepping down as New York's music director in the summer of 2017. His eight-year tenure with the orchestra hasPhilharmonic Flip-Flop: Conductor Alan Gilbert Trades New York For Hamburghttp://tpr.org/post/philharmonic-flip-flop-conductor-alan-gilbert-trades-new-york-hamburg
88996 as http://tpr.orgFri, 23 Jun 2017 14:54:01 +0000Philharmonic Flip-Flop: Conductor Alan Gilbert Trades New York For HamburgeditorIt's now officially summer, which means it's time to kick back, pour out a glass of rosé and listen to the ever-timeless Overture to A Midsummer Night's Dream , by composer Felix Mendelssohn . The German composer wrote the Overture (Op. 21) when he was only 17, but by then he was a seasoned composer with numerous operas and string symphonies under his belt. So while the Overture might be, as musicologist George Grove called it, "the greatest marvel of early maturity that the world has ever seen in music," it was par for the course for Mendelssohn. At the audio link, hear classical-music commentator Miles Hoffman give NPR's Rachel Martin a primer on Mendelssohn and his expansive and beautiful Overture to A Midsummer Night's Dream . Copyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit RACHEL MARTIN, HOST: And I'm Rachel Martin with four chords in celebration of summer. (SOUNDBITE OF FELIX MENDELSSOHN'S "A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM, OVERTURE IN E MAJOR, OP. 21") MARTIN: And that is the opening to theMeet Felix Mendelssohn, Composer Of The Original Song Of The Summerhttp://tpr.org/post/meet-felix-mendelssohn-composer-original-song-summer
88995 as http://tpr.orgFri, 23 Jun 2017 14:53:57 +0000Meet Felix Mendelssohn, Composer Of The Original Song Of The SummereditorLast month, American pianist Simone Dinnerstein was in Cuba preparing for her current North American tour with an orchestra of young musicians from Havana. She fondly recalls one very hot rehearsal. I feel like I've known Cuba for most of my life. When I was nine years old, my piano teacher Solomon Mikowsky, a Cuban Jew of Polish descent, told me stories of growing up in Havana. When I finally visited there myself in 2013, I fell in love with this city filled with music and appreciative audiences. I've been back several times: to record my latest album, Mozart in Havana , with the Havana Lyceum Orchestra, and just last month to rehearse for our current North American tour. We made the album and rehearsed in the Oratorio San Felipe Neri, a church right in the middle of Old Havana. It's one of the city's central places for music, with a school for music attached. If the musicians look very much at home there, that's because they are. The building doesn't look like much from the outside,Mozart And 'The Peanut Vendor' In Havanahttp://tpr.org/post/mozart-and-peanut-vendor-havana
88938 as http://tpr.orgThu, 22 Jun 2017 18:49:54 +0000Mozart And 'The Peanut Vendor' In HavanaNathan ConeIf you want to start a fight at a ragtime concert, start mucking with the tempo of the music. YouTube videos are full of comments about how fast or slow the pianist is playing any particular piece. The King of Ragtime, Scott Joplin , himself wrote “it is never right to play Ragtime fast.” But how fast is fast? There are piano roll recordings of Joplin himself clocking in the “Maple Leaf Rag” at around 100 beats per minute. That feels about right for a style of music that was based in equal parts on African syncopation and European harmony, dressed up as a lively march. Now there’s a new release of William Appling ’s final recordings of Scott Joplin’s complete piano works, and they’re presented at measured tempi that allow the ear to better hear Joplin’s inventive harmonies, but I confess that with few exceptions, the heart wants what it wants, and for the most part I want my rags to pop when I hear ‘em. Nevertheless, this new set offers plenty of riches and rare performances, from theWilliam Appling's Final Recordings: A More Authentic Raghttp://tpr.org/post/william-applings-final-recordings-more-authentic-rag
88775 as http://tpr.orgTue, 20 Jun 2017 16:35:32 +0000William Appling's Final Recordings: A More Authentic Rag